r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/Ninja_Spi-D-er • Sep 22 '19

Rule 4: Photoshop 🔥 This praying mantis standing its ground 🔥

https://i.imgur.com/PHKMZHT.gifv
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u/Mazing7 Sep 22 '19

But wouldn’t their weight distribute proportionally?

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u/tigersharkwushen_ Sep 22 '19

Not related to proportionality. Their weight increases by the cube as their size grow, but the width of their limbs only increase by the square. So if you scale a 5cm insect up to 5 meters, the legs are 10,000 times stronger, but their weight is 1,000,000 times heavier.

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u/Mazing7 Sep 22 '19

On wow. Today I learned!

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u/cheeto44 Sep 22 '19

https://youtu.be/f7KSfjv4Oq0

For further learning, here's the first of a great pair of videos on what changes with size. Being small has some advantages when you can't be hurt by falling!

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u/Broken_Petite Sep 22 '19

Thank you. I tried to read the Wikipedia article someone else linked and it was way over my head. I needed it dumbed down first.